220-1102 Operating Systems Practice Question
A technician needs to repair the Master Boot Record (MBR) on a Windows 10 computer that fails to boot. Which command should the technician use from the Windows Recovery Environment command prompt?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse `fixmbr` with `fixboot`, thinking both repair the same component, but `fixmbr` targets the Master Boot Record while `fixboot` targets the volume boot sector of the system partition.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
bootrec /fixmbr
The `bootrec /fixmbr` command rewrites the Master Boot Record (MBR) of the system partition without altering the partition table. This is the correct choice because the MBR is corrupted or missing, which prevents the boot process from locating the active partition. The command directly repairs the first sector of the disk that contains the boot code.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
bootrec /fixmbr
Why this is correct
bootrec /fixmbr rewrites the master boot record's boot code on the system disk, restoring the Windows boot loader entry point that executes from the first sector of the drive. It does not modify the partition table itself, but it overwrites the code that chain-loads Windows, which is exactly what's needed when MBR corruption prevents the system from starting.
- ✗
bootrec /fixboot
Why it's wrong here
bootrec /fixboot is a different repair step: it writes a new boot sector to the active system partition, not the MBR. The boot sector is a volume-level structure that contains file system-specific code to load the boot manager, so while it can fix corrupted boot sectors, it leaves the disk-level MBR untouched.
- ✗
bootrec /rebuildbcd
Why it's wrong here
bootrec /rebuildbcd reconstructs the Boot Configuration Data store, which holds firmware-independent Windows boot parameters and references to operating systems, but it never writes to the MBR's boot code region. It's an appropriate remedy for missing or corrupted BCD entries, yet MBR-level corruption will still prevent the boot sequence from beginning.
- ✗
bootrec /scanos
Why it's wrong here
bootrec /scanos merely enumerates all volumes and lists Windows installations it detects; it performs no write operations and changes no boot data. Its purpose is to give the administrator a read-only inventory of detected OSes, so it cannot repair a corrupted MBR and is not a repair command at all.
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macOS System Preferences and Settings
Key term
Command Prompt
Command Prompt is a text-based interface in Windows that lets you type commands to perform tasks like managing files, troubleshooting networks, or launching programs.
Key term
Windows
Windows is a family of operating systems developed by Microsoft that manages computer hardware and software, providing a graphical user interface for users to interact with their devices.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1102 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 220-1102 exam.